Synthesis of Metal Oxide Nanostructures and Their Applications as Lithium Ion Battery Anodes

Abstract

Due to the ever increasing demand in compact, light-weighted, and powerful portable electronic device, the research of second generation of lithium ion batteries has drawn more and more attention recently. Graphite, as the traditional anode material, can no longer meet the requirements of emerging technologies in terms of capacity, rate capability, and cyclic stability. In this thesis, two metal oxides, namely SnO2 and Fe3O4, were studied as the active components of anode materials for lithium ion batteries. Much higher theoretical capacities can be reached by these two metal oxides compared to that of graphite. However, their intrinsic properties, including low conductivities and large volume changes upon reaction towards lithium, result in poor rate capabilities and cyclic performances. To solve these problems, three major strategies were applied: fabrication of nano-structured metal oxide materials, utilization of specially designed metal oxide morphologies, and incorporation of carbonaceous materials.